Livestock animals are typically considered a commodity and are raised to produce food products including milk and beef. The time it takes livestock animals to mature, particularly to gain weight, is important when assessing whether the animal is ready to produce milk or is ready for market. A number of feeding systems have been used to enhance weight gain of livestock animals, and may include feeding techniques prior to and after weaning. Such techniques may involve providing supplements and additives to milk replacer or calf starter, which may include vitamins or medications. This may, for example, reduce the age of a dairy cow at freshening and the onset of lactation, thereby reducing the cost of milk production. Increased weight gain of the livestock animal from an early age may also reduce the cost of beef production.
Therefore, a concern for producers is whether the livestock animals are receiving adequate nutrients. When the livestock animals refuse feed, intake is decreased, which may be problematic from both the standpoint of the health of the animal and to the cost of milk or beef production. Differences in feed intake by animals impact rate of weight gain and ultimately body size. Smaller animals are more difficult to adequately manage due to their specific housing, dietary and husbandry needs.
Although various feeding systems have been practiced to enhance weight gain, these feeding systems, as well as feeding techniques that employ these feed systems, have not optimized methods for increasing the rate and uniformity of weight gain by the livestock animals. Accordingly, producers are in need of new approaches to feeding livestock animals that enhance weight gain rates in ruminants and/or increase the feed efficiency of ruminants.